Environmental seminar headed to Crowder

A daylong series of seminars dealing with the environment and energy will be held at Crowder College Nov. 29.

Wes Franklin

Organizers of an upcoming energy conference aren’t shy in acknowledging they’re out to help make the world a better place. And they’ve brought out the big guns.

The “Energy, Efficiency and the Environment” Conference will begin Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at the Crowder College Elsie Plaster Center, and is scheduled to last until about 3 p.m. It is hosted by the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce.

In its second year at Crowder, the energy workshop is unique this year in that it will draw a wider range of lecturers than before — including some top names in the world of alternative energy (see agenda below).

Presented as keynote speaker will be Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, who will give a talk on “Missouri’s Renewable Energy Policy.” But other names include Anita Randolph, of the Missouri Energy Center, Rick Anderson, with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Energy Center, and Trudy Forsyth, senior project leader with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Forsyth, in particular, “probably has the broadest view of wind energy potential” than anyone else at the conference, according to Art Boyt, director of Crowder’s MARET (Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Technology) Center.

“Besides our local talent, we’re drawing on these other experiences and other people to sort of cross-pollinate the knowledge that’s available here at Crowder,” Boyt said. “It also provides the attendees with additional resources or access to experts in the field. And that really is one of the best things that comes from a conference of this type.”

The all-day seminar will mostly incorporate individual breakout sessions with about 18 different speakers. Attendees can pick which lectures to sit in on.

Although this year’s conference is slightly focused on wind energy, session topics include everything from rebate programs for alternative energy practices, to renewable energy options, to the how’s and where’s of applying alternative energy and energy efficiency to daily life.

“I think it will be of very broad interest,” Boyt said. “Whether a person be a member of the general public or whether a person is interested in energy policy and planning, they will come away with something really good from this (conference).”

Part of the reason for the conference, Boyt said, is to provide answers for small businesses and individuals wanting to use less energy at work or at home. The starting point to that, he added, isn’t just discovering ways to slash utility bills through renewable energy, but first learning how to adopt energy-efficient practices.

“Then from there, you look at providing the real energy technology,” Boyt said. “If you do that, you can end up with a very economical mix.”

Naysayers of alternative energy’s practicality sometimes point to the initial cost of actually implementing it, Boyt noted. But that isn’t considering the broader cost, he said, in terms of how reliance on fossil fuels, for instance, are affecting the environment, the economy and even foreign policy.

“When you put all of that picture together, renewable energies come out on top — if they’re intelligently applied,” he said. “And, finally, you have to ask, what is it our children are going to have access to? And their children? And their children’s children? It’s not going to be petroleum. And if we’re still using fossil fuels as our base at that time, we’re going to be creating a much different world for them that’s a lot less desirable to live in.

“So the key is to implement those solutions now that are sustainable, that can be used for generations to come, so people looking back at us aren’t going to say ‘those are the ones who used it up, those are the ones who messed it up.’ And the E-Conference is all about that.”

About 200 people are expected to attend this year’s seminar. Although the pre-registration period has expired, anyone still wanting to attend may contact the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce at 451-1925. Admission is $15, which includes a catered lunch.

“I think people will get an appreciation for the opportunities out there where they can change for the better,” Boyt said. “Whether it’s improving energy efficiency in their home or business and cutting energy bills…or whether it be a more exotic solution by participating as an informed citizen to help form energy policy, all of those things are going to be an element. It’s a broad-spectrum conference and it’s got something for everybody.”